Christmas Gift Buying Made Easy

By Ava Green

The Eising Holiday Gift Guide has become a popular tradition, and this year, I asked staff members to share their favourite gifts. We have some great picks to brighten anyone’s holidays: family, friends, teachers, hosts/hostesses, the cat sitter, the dog sitter - anyone you would like to wish a Merry Christmas to!

Everlasting Decorations

What looks good every year? Everlasting decorations! Kirsten’s favourites are natural wreaths with just a bit of an embellishment. Elegant, timeless and oh-so-festive!

An ornament from our Giving Tree is Arlene’s choice because she can gift the beautiful glass cardinal, and the proceeds go to the local toy drive. Now that’s a gift that keeps on giving!

We also have lots of beautiful everlasting garlands, and Lindsey’s favourites: holiday-themed decorative containers to choose from. These festive plant pots transform any houseplant into a Christmasy gift or are perfect for holding other treasures if you’re creating a gift basket. 

Fresh Greenery

There’s an entire team of decorators, no…creators, no….elves, no…very talented staff members who spend the holiday season making the most beautiful urns, planters, and fresh greenery centrepieces. Donna and I are holding two of our favourites. Mary stopped making festive urns just long enough for this photo to be taken! She really pours her heart into it.

Tropicals, Holiday Plants, and Bulbs

As always, Courtney has a phenomenal selection of tropical plants to choose from. Do not ask her which one is her favourite. Trust me. Too many to count.

Ely is hoping for some gardening tools under the tree this year, and what gardener couldn’t use an array of trowels?!

Lori is ready for a party with her favourite hostess gifts - Amaryllis bulbs. Apparently, the Grinch likes plants, too. Who knew? Cindy Lou Who, possibly, and Lori.

Sassy Fashion

Donna is wearing and holding some of her favourite clothes, jewelry, accessories, and products from Sassyfras Boutique inside Eising Greenhouse. Yes, she has many favourites. In her defence, who can pick just one thing from Sassyfras?! Not us.

For Your Favourite People!

Finally, this is THE most flexible item in the guide, our Eisings gift card. It can also be the perfect solution for the person who has everything already and is hard to buy for. Why is this Lucas’s favourite?  Eising gift cards can be used for plants, landscaping, trees, shrubs, perennials, annuals, seeds, tropicals, decor, pots, garden tools, and any other items sold in the greenhouse. And that’s not all! Gift cards can also be used for anything in Sassyfras Boutique. So many options!

Good Tidings To All!

During this season of abundance, Henry and all of us at Eisings hope you get all of your favourite things, but mostly we wish you a safe and happy holiday season! ✨

We’ve been seeing so many creative ideas for garden and landscape design lately, and we’re particularly interested in one element of backyard design that doesn’t get as much attention: garden paths and stepping stones. After all, it’s hard to truly appreciate your garden without a good path to help you navigate through it! 

On top of giving you a better view of all the hard work you’ve put into your garden, you can also use pathway design as a tool for separating your yard into different areas, creating the illusion of more space and providing a framework for your design layout. A simple, straight path isn’t all that exciting, but a winding path that curves around trees and surrounding terrain adds a bit of whimsy, inviting you to explore the space. 

We always love getting creative and thinking outside the box when it comes to landscaping projects. These stone pathway ideas are a perfect first step to transforming your space. 

Recycled Mosaic Flower Stepping Stone 

Lots of folks have been interested in recycled garden path ideas, because fancy stones aren’t always the most budget-friendly material. Plus, reusing our available resources and reducing landfill waste is always a big win! One of our favourite walkway ideas on a budget is the classic mosaic stepping stone, but with a fun twist that us garden geeks can really get behind: floral motifs! 

Instead of placing your mosaic materials into a random pattern, arrange them in a swirling, geometric pattern that resembles a blooming flower! Use one round piece in the very centre, and then place the “petals” all around it. Suitable recyclable materials for your mosaic stones include:

• Broken china  
• Bottles and glassware
• Crystals
• Colourful rocks
• Shells

A general-purpose sand-mix concrete will be the best material for walking path stones full of mosaic pieces, because it’s nice and smooth and won’t take away from the colorful accents, whereas a gravel mix would be too pebbly and uneven. Remember to use a generous layer of grout on top of your stones to fill in all the cracks and cover up any sharp edges. 

Stone Pathways With Phlox And Other Groundcovers

Instead of plopping some paver stones on the lawn and calling it a day, why not jazz things up a bit with some colourful flowering groundcover plants? There are many low-growing plants that form dense mats of foliage and can handle a little bit of trampling without sustaining any damage, so they make lovely alternatives to grass, and they really make your pathway pop! 

Creeping phlox is one of our favourite flowering groundcovers, because its candy-coloured shades of purple, pink and blue look like something out of a fantasy novel. Imagine, instead of the same old green lawn grass, your garden path was surrounded by a cotton candy meadow! Here are a few other eye-catching groundcovers we highly recommend:

• Creeping thyme
• Deadnettle
• Sedum
• Candytuft
• Bugleweed 
• Clover

To see more flowering plants and groundcovers for the yard, check out our brand new webstore that’s loaded with images of our available plants! 

Container Garden Pathway Design

A clever way to add a border along your pathway without digging anything up is by lining the walkway with container gardens! This is an opportunity to really get creative, as you’ve got limitless options for your layout. You can go streamlined and buy a bunch of terracotta pots all in the same size, or you can mix and match different sizes and colours with a few funky accent containers thrown in for extra impact. 

You can also play around with the different heights of the plants you put in your containers. Taller flowering plants like salvia and cardinal flowers, potted conifers, or even creeping plants on small trellises can act as a great divider between the yard and the walkway. Smaller flowering plants have more of an understated look, but are great if you don’t want to block the view of your surrounding garden plants. 

Got any wild landscaping ideas of your own that you’d like to try to take on? We’d love to help! Our team of expert landscape consultants are happy to answer any questions you may have about DIY backyard makeovers. Visit us in-store or shop online to see our selection of plants and patio decor that are ready to make a new home in your backyard.